1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compact information terminal apparatus in which a hyper text such as an HTML (hyper text markup language) document can be inspected or browsed by connecting the apparatus to a network such as an Internet.
2. Related Background Art
As an inputting system for portable compact information terminals, a system in which a liquid crystal display device of touch panel type is provided in PDA (personal digital assistants) and the like and an operation is effected through pen input, and a system in which a compact liquid crystal is provided in a cellular phone and the like and an operation is effected by using up-and-down and left-and-right direction input switches are already known.
The inputting system using the touch panel has characteristics that a position can be designated directly by a pen device and a hand-writing character can be inputted. On the other hand, the inputting system using the direction switches has characteristics that it can be manipulated by one hand and the operation can easily be effected by using an instruction input system mainly including a text menu.
Further, it is general to browse the HTML document by effecting access to a WWW (world wide web) server through the Internet. The HTML document permits insertion of a character, image, figure and voice and can be linked to other document by describing tag called as anchor with text. An area described by the anchor tag is called as an anchor spot or a hot spot in browser (inspection software).
Further, the HTML is generally formed to be browsed by a personal computer having a resolving power greater than VGA (video graphics array) (640×480 pixels). Although cellular phones capable of drowsing the HTML document have remarkably been progressed, since a display of the cellular phone has a resolving power lower than that of the personal computer, layout must be devised.
There is no conventional information terminal in which portability and compactness permitting one hand manipulation and displaying ability equivalent to that of the personal computer are compatible. Thus, also regarding the browser for the HTML document, there is no browser having GUI (graphical user interface) suitable for such device. To the contrary, an information terminal according to the present invention has a resolving power of a display equivalent to that of a personal computer and is designed as a compact information terminal capable of being manipulated by one hand.
Although the browser for the personal computer generally has the GUI (graphical user interface) as shown in FIG. 9, since a menu and buttons are arranged end zones of a picture plane (view), when selection is effected, a cursor must be shifted toward the end of the picture plane, and, depending upon the input device, it takes a relatively long term to shift the cursor.
For example, in the inputting method using the direction input switches, although manipulation can be effected by one hand, since input is permitted only in the shifting direction of the cursor, it is impossible to designate an absolute position on the picture plane. As a result, in the browser such as WWW browser for the HTML document, for example, whenever a scrolling operation is performed, the cursor must be shifted greatly up to the desired button.
Further, regarding the input device, when the touch panel is used among the conventional operating systems, since the touch panel must be held by one hand and the touch panel must be touched by a pen held by the other hand, such device cannot be manipulated only by one hand.
For example, an example of the portable information terminal of touch panel type is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-175258 “Method and apparatus for using touch view display for portable communication device of intelligent type”). However, GUI of this example is similar to that of the personal computer, and it is difficult to perform the software operation by one hand.
Further, another example of the information terminal of a cellular phone type is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-036856 (“Context sensing pop-up window for cellular phone”). However, since such a terminal generally has a display view smaller than that of the personal computer, layout of the HTML document must be devised.